


Falling Together

by komikbookgeek



Category: The Tomorrow People (2013)
Genre: F/M, Pre-Series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-01
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-03-15 18:59:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3458273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/komikbookgeek/pseuds/komikbookgeek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Attraction sometimes happens all at once. Love doesn't. But sometimes it sneaks up on you.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Falling Together

This was a mistake.

Jedikiah sighed, and checked his watch. This was a mistake. He knew that. A risk, meeting with anyone, but especially this person? It was a mistake.

And, she was late. He frowned and glanced around again. New York had its share of far worse neighborhoods, but this was hardly the best. He wasn’t concerned for his own safety, and he doubted Morgan could be so backed into a corner she couldn’t teleport, but that would throw in a complication to their arrangement.

Or end it.

He was surprised to realize he didn’t want it to end. Not that this was a good idea. It wasn’t. A mistake. A rather large, unforgivable mistake. One that could not only result in her death - which he didn’t want - but his own. That of others he was protecting. Not to mention what he was doing, standing near a locked up newsstand, easy walking distance to a diner, a cheap (if clean) motel that didn’t have cameras, and a small art house waiting for someone little more than half his age.

Logically, he should leave, or break this off tonight - he didn’t want to just leave, in case when she showed up, she stayed waiting for him. He thought she would, she did seem rather taken with him, even if he didn’t quite understand why, but it was nice. More than nice. Jed was looking forward to tonight, to unwinding a little.

He’s getting attached and that didn’t lead to good places, he’d learned that. And yet…this had been going on for a while. Was likely to continue, if he was honest with himself.

The click of heels on pavement to his right matched her rhythm - if a bit rushed - and he turned his head to look over his shoulder, a small smile spread over his face, at least until she stepped close enough that the street lamp lit her face, which was creased with a frown. He cursed internally, frustrated and disliking that he wasn’t able to read her well, yet. He'd be far more at ease if he understood what could cause that frown. And tension in her steps, her weaving slightly as she walked. He could see the signs but didn't know how to interpret them.

Morgan all but sprinted to his side, wrapped her fingers tightly around his wrist and pulled. “Jedikiah, let’s go, please let’s go.” She wasn’t giving him a choice, really, just pulled him with her. She brushed her bangs back and rubbed her shoulder, something he'd seen her do a handful of times. 

"Something wrong?" He hadn’t seen her so uneasy before, her fingers were digging into his skin hard enough he could feel her nails, and he rolled his wrist to loosen her grip.

She shook her head; her hair worked its way loose from clip. “It’s nothing. It’s nothing.” She misstepped, her ankle wobbled, and he reached to steady her, and she slid into his arm, laid against his chest. In the dim light, he can see her eyes are closed, and she reached up to catch his coat in between her fingers.

“ _Morgan_. Calm. Down.” His voice was low, steady. In reality he was anything but - her behavior was setting him on edge. Not that he wasn’t on edge anyway, this was dangerous and now she was clinging to him. “Here, come with me.” All it took was a twist of his forearm to break her hold on his wrist - she didn't know how to hold it properly, his hand closed around her arm just above her elbow and he pulled her to his side, his intent was to duck down the alley a few yards up. If he remembered correctly, it ran the length of the block. She leaned against him, allowed him to lead. A boarded up alley entrance offered a private spot and he pulled her into it. “What is going on? Do we need to cancel our plans?”

She was actually trying to calm down, he noticed. She shook her head, lips curved inward until her mouth a little more than a straight line, wiped at her eyes, and pulled in close to him, tugged at his arm until he wrapped it tightly around her. “I’m just having a really bad day. Everything keeps going wrong.” She winced as her fly away hair caught on the button of his coat and she tried to tug it loose. “Just everything. Spilled milk all over making coffee this morning, tights had a run from that stupid washer down the street, my hair’s being-ow-“ Jed pulled back a little, fingers light and worked her hair loose, “-thank you, is being special today, neighbors are loud, someone stole my book on the subway and it wasn’t even noon, just. Everything.”

On one hand, Jedikiah wanted to laugh. They were such mundane occurrences, little annoyances when he had spent the day tracking a breakout who tried to wrap a golf club around someone’s head and another – one of Ultra’s own - who had been displaying frightening antisocial behavior and had traumatized several other Ultra agents in an attempt to cover up his behavior. On the other, it just grossly highlighted how much she did not fit in his life. Arguably, his day was worse, had ended with him cleaning blood off his hands and sending another suit to the dry cleaners, with three young agents freaked out and ready to quit, and Morgan was literally upset over spilled milk and a bad hair day.

“This is pretty much the best part of my day.” She’d settled with her head against his chest, tucked up against him like a shield.

Jedikiah gently combed through her hair with his fingers, felt her shiver and press closer. “What standing in a dark alley having your hair pulled?” Really, they should both just go, put her in a cab and end this.

“Having you hold me.” It was muffled, her voice didn’t carry much and she was pressed to his chest. A soundless sigh slipped past her lips and she wasn’t as tense as she had been, Jedikiah’s arm around her, his fingers in her hair, it soothed away a bad day that left her irrationally emotional. She looked up at him, caught him staring at her, his face crowded with what was going on in his head. He looked confused, the muscles around his eyes bunched up, tension at his ears, surprised, his jaw muscles and mouth fought to say something, and finally, flattered, most of those expressions smoothed back into something that might have been a smile.

He didn’t reply, just ducked his head and pressed a quick, firm kiss to her mouth and held her tightly. “I’m glad I could help.” How many people – much less paranormals – called his presence the best part of their day? How many would say that and mean it? This was what made walking away from Morgan so difficult. “Ready to go see the show?” They were already cutting it close.

“Yeah.” She offered a smile, though wasn’t too eager to leave the alcove or Jed’s arms. Still, she did feel better, some of the day’s stress behind her and raw nerves soothed.

They stepped out; darkness cloaked them from eyes that would pry, and for both of them, that suited just fine. The art house was passed the diner, but the motel was closer, Jedikiah had planned it that way, an easy loop backwards after the show. He questioned the logic of that when they passed the diner – the food smelled good, and he’d missed lunch (again). Just about to suggest they attend the latter viewing, something moved into just inside his peripheral vision. Before he had time to react, the quiet of the night was broken with angry yowls, spits, pained growls, and a thump – he knew the sound of a body hitting something metal, even if that was a small body. Beside him, Morgan jumped, a half swallowed drew his attention back towards her, and she smacked hard into him, hands held tight to his coat. He winced – she’d landed right on his holster, which was more than a little uncomfortable. If the sound he heard from her was any judgment, it didn’t feel much better on her end. “It was just a couple of cats. Or a cat and a rat.” He stared over, trying to decide, and felt her wind her hand tighter in the fabric of his coat. A glance down confirmed she was as huddled against him as possible, and he was certain she was shaking slightly. Of all the things, really? “Morgan?”

“I’m-just startled.” She didn’t loosen her hold on him though. Startled on top of a bad day, she didn’t even like to watch movies with jump scares when she was alone. Much less live one. This sealed it, she didn’t care if it was barely after eight, she was beyond finished with his day. _Done_. Completely. Shut everything down, she was staying right here, with Jedikiah wrapped around her. With his arms wrapped around her, and under the soft, slow passes of his hand as it rubbed her back.

Jed wasn’t just rubbing her back for her, he needed a moment to think. “Why don’t we just get dinner to go, find a movie on the TV in the room? Might be more comfortable, if you are going to hide under my arm all night.” He was teasing, mostly. The fact that Morgan had been afraid and had clung to him for protection…it stunned him.

“Are you offering to protect from the big bad world, Dr. Price?” She responded in kind, but her voice didn’t completely have the playful ring it normally did.

And the conversation, however light, had much more serious undertones. Was he willing to protect her? That’s what he was doing, wasn’t it? He had been keeping her existence from Ultra secret for months, had been lecturing her – even threatening her – in order to keep her safe. Not that she didn't have a way of turning that back on him. Occasionally he thought she just didn’t care, but he knew, when the moment passed, that she wasn’t ignoring him. He _was_ protecting her.

And she _trusted_ him to do that, despite everything she knew.

“Yes Miss Burke, I am.” There was a little more weight to the statement than before, he wasn’t teasing any longer. This was far passed a mistake, this was going to be was got him killed, but he’d made his decision. “Let’s get dinner, head in.”

Morgan smiled, still tucked under his arm. “Sounds wonderful.”


End file.
